Host Bella Isaacs attended this year’s Washtenaw County Youth Climate Strike on September 20 to record the speeches given by student activists on the University of Michigan’s campus. That strike was part of a movement inspired by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunburg, who encouraged other young activists around the world to demand that those in power “begin acting like adults” and take action on climate change. The speakers ranged in age from middle school to grad school students and demonstrated the power of youth organization in Washtenaw County.
Cities and townships in Washtenaw County support a variety of progressive, publicly-funded efforts to protect local lands. They do that either by preserving those lands as they are or reserving them for agricultural use. Land protection consultant Barry Lonik, Washtenaw County Local Foods Coordinator Jae Gerhart of Michigan State University’s Extension Center, and farmer and educator Shannon Brines joined host Bella Isaacs to talk about how that process works, how land preservation relates to the local food movement, and why it’s important to consider the ecological and social impacts of urban density versus urban sprawl. Continue reading Land Preservation in Washtenaw County→
Matt Harmon, Tegwyn John, and Solomon Medintz are members of the Climate Action Movement at the University of Michigan, which defines itself as “a coalition of stakeholders” that is urging the university to craft a meaningful sustainability policy and actively move its campus toward carbon neutrality. They were also co-organizers of last week’s Washtenaw County Climate Strike, a county-wide protest spearheaded by high school and college students that “demanded better and immediate policy from Washtenaw County City Councils” and the University of Michigan.
